Do you Believe in magic?
by rangertennyson005
Summary: A high school student on the verge of entering college is struck by an accident and finds himself in the Harry Potter world. The worst thing, He is in Dudley Dursley's body and the only thing he realizes is that knowing future is never enough
1. arrival

Hello friends. This is the story of Alexander Mathews. Now you all will ask me who is Alexander Mathews. Well he is a normal guy just like you and me. He is a student enjoying his last high school summer. Goalie of his high school football team. Student of a near by chun kuk do academy since 5 years. Blah blah

Alex was not a big fan of Harry Potter. Well Technically he was but he preferred movies over books. His mother passed away a couple of years after his birth. His father was a cop. Which was a very demanding job that's why his grandparents mostly took care of him. His father played a major part too but it was his grandparents who filled up the role.

All things were going well until the middle school, In which he became target of a few bullies. This situation became a new light in Alex's life because after that the nerdy Alex started taking more interest in physical education . Taking judo classes at school and also joining a nearby chun kuk do school. Also at this time he developed interest in football which stayed with him up to the end of high school.

It was not like that Alex didn't like HP books. There were somethings he never understood about the story. Well but as the series ended Alex decided to reread all seven books of Harry Potter before entering university – some sort of empathy to himself leaving one of the most colourful periods of his life. Although he was still young relative to the global population, it still saddened him to never be called a high-schooler again. That title was not enjoyed for its correlation with the schooling system though.

If only high schools were like Hogwarts, with all its magic and adventures every year, though maybe it was only applicable for Harry. Alex really liked Harry in the earlier books, but there were some points in the books that he seriously snarled at while reading.

For example, how could some semi-qualified teenager duel a legendary dark lord? That was like telling the guy who sat behind him in physics to challenge Albert Einstein to solve equations on relativity. Alex also remembered all that heated media about 'who is going to die in the next book' going on every year, and he wondered if J.K just killed characters off to meet some PA purposes: Snape and Dumbledore were arguably reasonable because of their deaths' contributions to the plot; but trivial for Mad-Eye; and even extreme for Cedric, who did not really deserve a death in his eyes – unless it was just an excuse to pile on the angst for the next book or obliterate a love rival. That whole love affair with Cho was just headshake-invoking to the max. About that Epilogue? He considered ripping those pages out before returning this book to the library.

Alex groaned then opened his eyes and exited his room, ready to throw on a raincoat and return the old books now that he was done. He was not the author or editor, and for the details he did not like, those fan-fiction writers could deal with it. Stepping out of the front door, he jogged down the street, the tattered pages of worn paper lifted above his head. He still felt soaked though, and just as he was about to mutter about having such an uncomforting raincoat, everything went white. Then black.

Basic physics. Light travels faster than sound,explaining how Alex did not hear the thunder afterwards.

**Scene change**

Alex groaned as he had found himself standing in front of a mirror, _not _in his bathroom, eyes wide, heart pounding, and all the while staring at the reflection of a fat child, where his average semi muscular adult one should be. He had taken a deep breath and pinched the back of his hand.

"Ow." Okay, so he was not in a coma after being hit by lightning, dreaming about all those things.

Not the 'usual response' that someone might have had when finding themselves in such a situation, although the pounding heart and stomach flipping sensation reminded him all too well what was coming. While still being able to stand up and think straight, he began listing off the probable causes of this seemingly impossible event.

"Time travel," he stated, as dreaming had been ruled out about an hour ago. However, Alex was still exploring the large, round and child-sized head in his hands, as if looking for an off switch.

"Nah, that wouldn't make me younger." He looked down at the layer of flab now surrounding his gut. "Or put me in another body."

"Shape shifting?" Alex looked around the yellowy-cream porcelain tiles of the bathroom with obvious dislike. "That wouldn't explain the teleporting. Perha-"

A fast triple knock rattled on the bathroom door abruptly. Alex jumped, causing the belly beneath him to wobble. Which was quite a new experience for Alex, Compared to his semi muscular self

"Dinky Diddydums?" came a cooing and high-ended woman's voice from behind the door. "Are you alright, Icklum? You've been in there an awfully long time, sweetie."

Alex's eyes shot back to the mirror at breakneck speed, his new eyes scanning the face that he saw there. "_Dinky Diddydums?" _repeated in his ears like an echo, leading him deeper into his own mind. "Dudley Dursley?" the words came out his mouth before the conclusion in his mind was made.

"Diddykins?" came the voice again, and like an internal explosion he knew the voice could only belong to Aunt Petunia…no, not _Aunt, _if he was who he thought he was…'Mother' Petunia. Something cringed inside Alex. It was at this point that the 'usual reaction' started to kick in

Alex began to hyperventilate, which only increased as the mirror in front of him began to crack at its four corners, a large X of broken glass forming across the rapidly paling reflection of Dudley Dursley.

The resulting BANG of Alex fainting in Dudley's body corresponded with the resonant CRASH of all the mirrors in the house suddenly breaking.

**Time skip**

Alex sighed as he opened his eyes once again. Thinking all of this was a dream.

But after the 'bathroom incident,' he found himself once again in the body of Dudley Dursley.

Alex stared at the ceiling. He had awoken tucked loosely in the middle of a double bed in a room full of _stuff. _To Alex, it honestly looked like someone had thrown Toys 'R' Us in a blender and poured its rainbow contents into this room for storage. Petunia Dursley was standing over him, looking extremely worried and threatening to call the hospital. Luckily, he managed to talk her out of it, instead talking her down to: -

"A couple of days off, just in case, Diddykins." After which, she weaved through the obstacle course of discarded toys on the creamy-blue carpet like an Olympic pro. Soon after, she brought upstairs a tray with some soup, which was really good, bread, sandwiches and three cans of pop.

That was followed by a short conversation about what he wanted for his tenth birthday, which started with awkward silence and ended in a shrug from Alex. Petunia brought him several catalogues.

Eventually, Alex had to sit up. Staring at the ceiling and questioning his existence was obviously not getting him anywhere, so he decided to think about something more productive. He called Petunia and asked for a pen and paper, which gained him an odd look and another mention of a hospital trip. He was going to write a list.

For some reason, however, he couldn't control the pen in his fat stubby hand, and that was when the crying started.

At first there were no tears, and it was just a feeling at the back of his head, easily being mistaken for frustration or anger at not being able to get the pen to do what he wanted it to do, but it grew as the thought of his family and friends entered into his mind.

Thunder erupted over the house and the rain hammered down after it.

Alex took a long breath and tried to control himself but it was easier said than done

"I. Need. To. Get…" The words came out like sobs. "…Outside!"

Vernon and Petunia looked at each other, and then out the window at the dark thundering storm.

"Vernon, the car," Petunia hushed, looking haggard. "Quickly, now! So no one will see!" The fat man grabbed Alex and managed to carry him down the stairs. There came a cracking sound from the living room as they passed, but no one heard it over Vernon pushing his way through the front door like a bull.

The second the rain touched Alex, he fell out of Vernon's hands and was now somehow impossible to hold, much to the man's horror and dismay. Alex rolled his fat sack of a body as far away as he could.

He was kneeling in mud, arms stretched to the black sky like a sacrifice to the storm. He felt each icy droplet slice through him like a shard of frozen glass, knitting through his body like needles.

The pain touched him in places deeper than the physical confines of Dudley Dursley's body, creating an explosion of **EVERYTHING **inside. It was unbearable, incredible, wonderful, intolerable, and simply insurmountable.

This was death, the Dursleys, even if they were horrible people, had just lost their only son and they didn't even know it, and Alex Larkin's very existence had just been erased. Dudley had been cruel in his childhood, but he was also the only one that had truly _chosen_redemption. Alex, on the other hand, had _suffered_ throughout his life, and now all that meant nothing. They were the shards that hurt the most.

The heavy rain risked drowning him, and brawling winds threatened to lift him off the ground and throw him, as lightning roared down from the sky directly above. It first hit the magical wards on the house, the main power following it down in a dome of brilliant, blinding and dazzling light.

The core of the lightning strike, however, managed to blast through the barrier, and forked as it connected to both of Dudley's hands, knocking him backwards into the ground.

The next thing Alex knew, he was lying two inches deep in mud, every muscle twitching. He exhaled a gust of crisp air he didn't know he was holding, while experiencing the peculiar sensation of having all the hairs on his body standing up at once.

"PETUNIA! HIT-" Vernon bellowed, his screams broken and stolen in the deafening thunder. "…LIGHTNING!"

Alex felt Vernon's hands around him once more, unable to resist them as he drifted off into slumber.

The next week consisted of trips and overnight stays across London's hospitals, some for the burns on his hands, and the rest looking at Dudley Dursley's brain, and the cause of his sudden change in behaviour, particularly his sudden bouts of amnesia.

The doctors eventually accredited the change to minor brain damage as a side effect of being struck by lightning. Harry Potter, and many others at his primary school, accredited it as a miracle.

The first time that he saw Harry Potter was within the first week of his stay at the hospital. At the time, he was having the burns on his hands looked at and was dosed up to the ceiling with pain-meds and antibiotics.

He knew it was Harry because he was in baggy mismatched clothes and standing as far away from the Dursleys as physically possible. A quick glance at some chaotic jet-black hair, thick round glasses, and, of course, _the scar_, confirmed that it was indeed Harry Potter. However, Harry wasn't _exactly_ as he had pictured him.

Not that Petunia, Vernon or Dudley were particularly as he had imagined them either, although he supposed that he could see the resemblance between all of them if he thought about it. Long neck, no-neck, round and thin faced, Petunia, Vernon, Dudley and Harry.

Thin faced Harry was certainly skinny, but not what anyone would call malnourished, Like those people in Africa .

Harry didn't look as beaten down or as skittish as he'd expected either, not that he could recall J.K. ever actually writing that Harry was. He'd just always thought that abuse was implied. An aspect he seemed to have over romanticized.

He didn't speak to Harry that day because of a combination of nerves, pain medication and the Dursleys, and besides, he'd only just gotten used to talking to Petunia and Vernon as if they were his parents. That was quite weird and it was going to take a lot of practice

When the Dursleys' had outspent their visiting hours, Dudley, as Alex now called himself, spent the rest of his time at the hospital thinking.

Alex was Dudley Dursley now

If only he was more immature or a few years younger before meeting this fate, Alex would immediately adapt into this new life with excitement. Though thinking realistically, Alex in effect just learnt the news of his own death.

He was never going to see his family and friends again. Everything he possessed or built up in his previous life were lost. He was in an unfamiliar world where everyone was a stranger and even the laws of physics were deformed by Magic that apparently existed. Alex had an average life in an average family, Above average social standing amongst peers and some might even consider a prosperous future. How could anyone with half an ounce of mature thought be happy about such a predicament without a period of time to accept the things he had lost and would never get back?

The only way out was self-hypnosis, as he tried to reason with himself the new opportunities opened to him. He was in a world with magic! One on the verge of going into the Second War with Voldemort! He even knew the limited future! There could be numerous possibilities lying ahead for him to snatch up with as much ease as raising an arm! Famous Quidditch player, Head Auror, even Minister of Magic

But the question was that. He was in the body of Dudley Dursely. Longtime bully of Harry Potter. Albeit he was the only one among the Dursleys who showed any sign of redemption. Only reason he was a bully because that's how he was brought up. It was Dursley's fault. Dudley was just a spoiled kid

Dudley had been a Muggle in the books, so why would he be magic now, just because he was possessed? Although, to be fair, he very deeply suspected that he did have magic. He had heard the doctors and nurses talking behind the blue-green curtains of his sick bed, that the Dursleys kept closed at all times during their visits, and it amounted to:

"No one gets hit by lightning, survives, and then comes out with only minor burns at the entry points and…without showing any exit points." Nobody seemed to be comfortable mentioning the rapid speed at which the wounds were healing either.

So the possibility of magic was strong, but that then brought up the bigger question, '_what would the Dursleys do?_' They had been hysterically firm on not allowing Harry to go to Hogwarts, going to god-knows-where just to get away from the letters. Dudley didn't like his chances.

So it was a possibility too that he could get invited to Hogwarts but still it was too early to think about that. The first things which were on his mind was that Dudley wasn't physically weak by any standards but he was fat, really fat. After getting out from this hospital, The first thing Alex planned was to get this baby fat off. He planned on joining some sort of sports and a martial arts or Judo classes. That wasn't going to make any major difference though Alex knew that without magic he won't be able to handle enemies. Man! He still had doubts he will go to Hogwarts or not

There was not much else a kid could have done at that moment. This was an opportune moment to destroy Voldemort once and for all when he was weak, knowing about the Horcruxes. The trick was finding them. While Alex remembered most about them. He had a doubt that he remembered all of them.

Alex closed his eyes and took a long breath. Fate had brought him into it and it will find a way out for him too. The only thing he could do is to be himself and try to act like a better human being.

What's more, even if by some lucky wish on a star he went to Hogwarts, what would he do? How would he do it? No, this was far too complicated, and way too much to be dealing with. The truth was that even deciding that course of action was difficult, because it was so very tempting to just opt-out and let everything run its predetermined route. But that felt like it would be even more difficult to maintain.

"Wait and watch ... Dudley" Alex closed his eyes with a sigh and let the sleep come to him. May be in the world of dreams he will still find his loved ones

**So Any suggestions or Advise regarding the future chapters. Just let me know. Your ideas can really help me**


	2. It's Magic!

**Alex will mostly call himself Dudley from now on. But there might be some moments when his real name will be used**

Despite being in the Harry Potter universe things can be quite boring. Especially if you are bedridden in a hospital. Stuck in a body of a fat kid who is at least 10 years younger than you and this was 1989 for god's sake. Which meant no I pad or I pods . No laptops, No x boxs, No internet. Well so in short Dudley can't be technically blamed.

After a time what seems to be years for our " Dudley" finally he was discharged, Free to go home. He was almost healed except for two thin shapeless scars angled on the back and palms of his hands, from between his thumb and forefinger down to his wrist. They were now hidden in thick white cotton bandages.

He had no major plans. Except losing weight which was not easy and get Harry out from under the stairs. He knew that wasn't going to change a lot of things. Come on, The guy who treats you like a trash for almost 7 -8 years suddenly turns nice. Will you suddenly be his friend? Nah. Dudley knew he had a long way to go before Harry could even consider friendship with him. But whatever it was sort of a beginning. At least it seemed better than sit and do nothing.

The problem was that it was so very tempting to just opt-out and let everything run its predetermined route. Dudley had an ideal life which anyone could have wanted. Nah, that was the main problem. Due to his father's upbringing it was too difficult for Alex to sit here and do nothing

From the first moment of he put steps into this house, Dudley knew he had to do things which were quite weird for him. Like mostly being sweet to Vernon and Petunia. Luckily, The whole "lightning" incident made a lot of things easier for him

Like starting a diet and joining some sort of sports center. The incharge of the center said that Dudley's body wasn't built for running, so starting next month he would only be put down for sports i.e. boxing and rugby. Well , That wasn't a big problem. Another thing He opted for swimming classes. Swimming can be really useful in losing weight. Joining a Judo academy took some time to convince but Dudley knew that Vernon and Petunia hardly denied anything to their favorite son so finally it was done after a little trouble

The real trouble rose when when he told Petunia that he wanted to get rid of all of the old toys in his room, and the spare, and that for his birthday he only wanted the money that they would have spent on the toys, that eyebrows began rising. Albeit after Dudley convinced them that he wanted to start saving from a very early age. They totally brought it and praised his intelligence like always. Dudley knew he had to take things slow, So he didn't ask ask them to move Harry for another week, and when he did, it took an awful lot of convincing. Including a lot of head ache on Dudley's part

"Mom, There is a whole room up there!..." Dudley growled as he pointed towards the ceiling with both hand but he was interrupted once again by his "Dad

"I said no, Dudley." Vernon's face at this point was like an old wreaked tomato. This was the fourth time they'd had this argument this morning, not including the seven they'd had the night before. "I'm going to turn it into a game room." He pulled up a newspaper in front of his face, as he collapsed into the chair closest to the telly.

"But it's not fair! You can't just leave _him_ in a-" the _him _in question, or rather his hair, caught Dudley's eye. Harry was hiding in the flowerbed outside the living room window, where the new hydrangea had just been planted, but his hair could still be seen anytime the wind picked it up. "-CUPBOARD UNDER A F...STAIRS!"

"Shhhhh both of you!" This was Petunia, looking rather fierce in a white and pink floral patterned apron. "_The Neighbours_!" she hissed, and looked around the room as if she might spot one. She didn't, but she spotted Harry.

"Get out of my flowerbeds! And get in here!" She shrieked. "Now!"

The black hair disappeared from the window, and a few seconds later appeared, attached to the rest of the boy, in the living room. Petunia looked at each of the three males, and huffed angrily at Harry. "Boy, you're moving upstairs."

A mixture of "Yes", "finally" and "but, darling-" filled the living room, as Petunia turned on her heels, undid her apron and moved into the kitchen with Vernon waddling after her.

"First step accomplished" Dudley mentally chuckled and sighed in relief. He didn't notice that this left him and Harry alone for the first time since he had arrived. He looked at the wizarding world's hero. Albeit he had sparkling green eyes but there was nothing about him that seemed special. Well, He was not a born hero. The situations made him one. Which was a clear fact in Dudley's mind.

After a couple of seconds Dudley realized he was staring Harry, Which sounded really weird. He mentally scolded himself for being so clueless and moved out the way so that Harry could get to the space under the stairs.

As he did, a quiet voice mumbled something along the lines of "Thanks…Dudley."

Dudley closed his eyes and grinned. It was a smile of his first success. " No prob, Anytime .. cousin" He said with a smile and looked over Harry who was smaller than him, Began raking out his belongings from the cupboard.

"_Step two" _Dudley said to himself as he started walking towards Harry.

"Need any help Cuz" Harry's eyes widened as he looked up from inside the cupboard and saw Dudley standing near him.

"Okay" Harry said very slowly still looking at Dudley with suspicion as if at any moment he was going to do something awful. Dudley sighed but he knew he still had a long way to go before he can be friends with Harry Potter.

"Umm, here." Harry handed him the blankets from his cot, not trusting him with anything that could break.

The two of them trotted off upstairs with all of Harry's stuff. It didn't really need two people to move it into the old toy room, which had had its contents emptied into six black bin-bags and left in front of the local charity shop already, and now looked like an actual room.

The two boys looked at the room. It could do with a lick of paint, a new bed mattress, maybe a new carpet and a new wardrobe, but other than that it was most certainly a room and not a cupboard.

"I'll put the old tv here and if you insist I can put that old lamp here too" Dudley said as he kicked off some dust from carpet. " Well, We gotta clean the room. I will ask dad to get my room colored than you can have the extra paint. What do ya say ?"

When Dudley turned back to Harry, He was giving him weird looks like he was an alien. It kinda reminded him of those jaw dropping situations from animes

"Are you feeling okay?" Harry asked slowly with a frown, which actually appeared really funny on the nine year old.

"Yeah, Harry." Dudley winked with a playful smile. "Never better."

**Scene change**

School, Primary school, Well Dudley knew he had to go through this torture once again until it gets to Hogwarts or it won't. He wasn't sure that he had magic or not yet. Albeit when you are on the verge of college, attending an old fashioned primary school isn't a pleasurable experience. Dudley even thought it had to be some sort of a punishment due to his past deeds

Petunia wrapped his hands and his head up in bandages until it looked like he was wearing a turban, and he couldn't move his fingers. She marched him and Harry into school that morning with a tight aristocratic smile on her face

They arrived late. Which Dudley suspected was on purpose. Harry was quickly ushered into the classroom, while he and Petunia, forcibly, hand in hand, waited outside a metal snot-green door. The teacher, Mrs Greenwood, whose name was spelt out in paper letters on the door, explained, rather loudly, to the class that Dudley had been in an accident and was coming back to school.

"Remember that storm we had three weeks ago, when you were told that Dudley Dursley was outside and struck by lightning?" There was a sound of thirty-odd children in agreement.

"Well, he hurt his head."

'Ah ha,' Dudley thought. 'This would be why I'm wearing a turban.' "So he may not be able to remember things like he used to, and he may also be acting a little bit strangely-"

"A lot strange-"

At the sound of Harry's voice, Petunia tightened her grip on Dudley's hand painfully, which almost made him grit his teeth.

"-He's nice now." He continued, but Mrs Greenwood pretended not to hear him.

"So I want you **all** to be very nice to him, and help him if he has any trouble. Now, who's going to volunteer to let him in?" There was silence, and then the sound of a few hands flying up in the air. "Hmmm…how about Polkiss?" There was the sound of someone getting up, and the snot-coloured door opened.

There stood a ratty looking boy with a long nose smiling at him with glee. Petunia let go of his hand, kissed him on the cheek, and with a slight push on his left shoulder, guided him into the threshold of the classroom. Dudley growled. This boy was supposed to be his henchman in future. Huh, He looked ridiculous

The classroom was set up with eight low rectangular tables pushed together to make four squares, and each had a different coloured box on it filled with pens, pencils, rulers and paper. Each group table had roughly seven or eight kids sitting at it, all of them staring at him as he entered the room.

Polkiss smiled smugly at them as he led Dudley, like an invalid, to the table with a cracked lime-green box in its centre, surrounded by five large boys who were taking turns to kick each other under the table. This table was also the furthest away from Harry, who sat at the yellow box table with four other children, an empty space on either side of him.

"Hey, Dud?" Polkiss asked loudly, rubbing his nose on his sleeve, and then rubbing it on the back of the boy who sat next to him and who was trying, unsuccessfully, to tie his shoes. "What was being hit by lightning like?"

"_What kind of question was that?" _ Dudley sighed as he looked down at the ratty nine-year-old and then stared solidly at the chair next to him for about three seconds, then he decided not to slap him, and then began to wander over to Harry.

Dudley would later learn that Mrs Greenwood had allowed him to move tables because, as far she knew, he was brain damaged. And after seeing how well he behaved and worked with Harry, she decided to let him stay there.

8

Five months and two days later, Dudley celebrated his tenth birthday. The diet was well on its way and he had lost a good amount of fat, and gained a lot of muscle when the actual day arrived. Judo classes where going well but it will take some time to reach that level when he can use his chun kuk do katas fluently like before

He hadn't expected to get much because all he asked for was money. However, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley bought him a sports-bike, a new pair of boxing gloves, a home-stand punching bag and rugby kit, and wrapped up in the shorts came along two-hundred quid.

Harry, much to Dudley's surprise, had left him an old large brass biscuit tin outside his room that morning. There was a piece of torn paper stuck to it with a quickly scribbled Happy Birthday on it. Dudley wondered that from where Harry could get this

Harry had obviously tried to make a penny slot, but had ended up scratching the paint and denting the lid, which now didn't fit right. The gift didn't matter the effort did. Dudley smiled once again. It meant that he succeeded in breaking the ice wall

He had recently begun to start doubting whether he had made any bridges with Harry at all. It was hard enough pretending to be younger than he actually was, but trying to make friends with a nine year old, who thought you were the cousin that had made his life a misery for all his life..., Well It was a little hard for Dudley to tell where he stood. But this _tin_ meant something. It meant he was getting somewhere with Harry.

Dudley promptly stuffed the two hundred pounds, along with the forty-five quid allowance Vernon had been giving him every month, plus a ten-pound note gained from doing odd jobs for the neighbour's ( Alex was a hard worker from the beginning and decided to earn some money by himself maybe so he can spent it for Harry), into the biscuit tin. That last bit he usually spent on the odd sweets for Harry whenever they had to walk home, but that had become rare since the Dursleys found out. They now had to wait an extra 20 minutes at the school gate for Vernon to come and pick them up by car.

The day was almost perfect if it wasn't for _Aunt Marge_. Dudley growled as he looked at her. He had never met someone so infuriating in all his lives, and he'd had to deal with social services. He wished he could have called police and put her behind bars

She gave him a big kiss on his cheek, and pulled off the wrapping on his hands, which Petunia made him wear against his will 'to hide those disgusting scars,' as her bulldog molested a couch cushion and growled at anyone who looked.

"Struck by lightning, eh?" Marge said, peering at the darkened and scarred skin. She then dropped her hand on his shoulder, which almost caused him to crumble, as she bellowed, "It'd take a lot more than lightning to put a Dursley down!"

Vernon laughed politely, as Petunia huddled closely to him, trying to hide her horror at what the dog was now doing to the pillow. Harry snorted, and then made a run for the stairs as Marge took a swing at his legs over Dudley's shoulder with her stick.

She caught the bottom of Harry's shirt, tripping him forward. When Harry got back up he took off his glasses, which were now snapped in two, and made his way blindly through the living room to go upstairs to fix them.

"Ha! See, Vern? That's how to teach worms like _that_ respect."

"What, Beating up kids?" Dudley sneered. He pushed past Marge and helped Harry find the stairs. Harry's face was screwed up nastily, and his nose was red and throbbing. Dudley thought that he would probably be crying if it weren't for everyone in the room.

"What's wrong with him then?" Marge asked, as Dudley helped Harry up the steps by carrying his glasses.

"Huh, brain damage, huh." Vernon cleared his throat. "From the lightning," he said quickly.

"Ah, I see. Funny thing, lightning. Petunia, fetch us a sherry!" She clicked her fingers. "Yes, apparently, there are seven different types-"

Harry didn't make a sound for the whole time _she _was there, which must have been hard because she made him stay in stick distance throughout dinner after Dudley had managed to fix the frame of his glasses with duck tape. It was not a new thing. Dudley was used to fix his Grandma's glasses back home

During dessert, Dudley stormed out into the garden after Marge's comment about children in care which were towards his disgust mostly directed to Harry. Suddenly, There was a loud yelp from inside, the sound of something being tipped over and a roar of laughter. Seconds later, the screen doors opened and Harry ran out.

"AHHHHHHHH, DUDLEY, RUN!" Harry ran past him screaming, faster and louder than he had ever seen him do before. He climbed up the tree on the far side of the yard, when he yelled, "DUDLEY!"

Dudley had just enough time to turn around and put his hands out when the bulldog pounced.

Teeth! A stunning golden light erupted from his hand, and Aunt Marge's dog blasted off like a rocket over the house.

Dudley stared at his hand in wonderment. He must have zoned out whilst staring because Harry seemed to suddenly appear by his side, and he was there staring at it, too. He would have seen the whole thing from his viewpoint in the tree.

"Dudley…what was that purple flash?" Harry whispered eventually. "How did you-"

"Magic…" Dudley whispered to himself, still dumb and numb from what he had just experienced. He stared at Harry stupidly. "Magic."

Aunt Marge, who had had a little too much to drink, suddenly barged through the doors, followed closely by Vernon and Petunia, who looked to be the only things keeping her upright. They were all laughing as they came outside. Then they went quiet, as they looked around the garden and only found two boys and no dog.

"Where's Beatrice?" Marge demanded, so forcefully that the Dursleys lost their grip on her and she fell forward. She looked at the two boys with an evil eye, as she pushed herself up.

"_WHERE. IS. MY. DOG_?" she bent over the tops of Harry and Dudley.

Dudley and Harry slowly looked at each other, and then pointed up.

'Marge's dog ran away after Dudley bumped it on the nose' had been Harry's quick thinking that had gotten both them off the hook, yet since then there were no further advanced on Harry and Dudley's relationship.

He wouldn't have thought that Harry would have been scared off by the bit of magic, as he hadn't been when Hagrid and the letters showed up in the book. Maybe living with the Dursleys had had more effect on Harry than was mentioned in the books, or maybe Harry just simply didn't like him that much. Well If Harry was jealous or more Dursley-ish he wouldn't be for much longer, not with the Hogwarts closing onto him

Who cares? He was a good guy, He made quite efforts in the direction of making Harry's life a bit better and in a way succeeded too. Besides pleasing a 10 year old wasn't on his priority list. The main thing was that...

"HOGWARTS AND MAGICAL BRITAIN ALL OF YOU BE PREPARED BECAUSE AN AWESOME WIZARD IS COMING TO ROCK YOUR WORLD" Dudley mentally cheered as he pumped his fists in the air. He was going to Hogwarts and nothing will be same ever again


	3. Getting to the Zoo

Well, So Dudley had magic. This was going to change a lot of equations in this world. Still, Without magic Dudley's life would be quite boring. He was very much excited to see the Hogwarts in real. On the other hand attending a magical school would be much better than attending a normal( Also he already attended a normal school back home in his original body).

But what if the Dursley's denied on sending him to Hogwarts? That was the main problem. But Dudley already decided on going to Hogwarts with or without their blessings. Technically he was an "adult" after all. Money was his main concern now. The second was having a lot of it. Just enough so that he could afford going Hogwarts if the Dursleys wouldn't pay his way. Albeit he had a thought that hogwarts had some kind of special funds for orphans or students who didn't afford to attend the school otherwise Tom Riddle wouldn't be able to study in the Hogwarts. But He was a different case because he had parents which were more than able to pay his way up to school. Well, Nothing could be said about this until the letter arrives and Dursley's see his name written in it.

Whatever, Dudley thought that having some extra money will be helpful when he goes to hogwarts, He might need to convert them into wizarding money but that didn't seem much difficult with a lot of muggleborns attending hogwarts.

This was why Dudley was currently working more jobs than he had ever done in his old life, and working hard at them. There wasn't a car cleaned, garden weeded or little old lady in distress on Privet Drive, Magnolia Crescent or Wisteria Walk. Dudley Dursley's name was mentioned and commented in every passing, and the title 'little entrepreneur' added.

He was making a real impression with the locals, and anytime Vernon or Petunia heard their names mentioned in a good light, an extra tenner was added to Dudley's allowance, and another frown given to Harry, but it still wasn't that enough.

Dudley didn't see Harry that much, as Harry spent most of his time either watching TV in his room, quietly out of the way, or at the playground at the end of Magnolia road, again out of the way.

Dudley did the paper rounds on his bike because the post office wouldn't allow him to work for them because of his age, and he could understand why, since the paper bag would be heavy for a normal kid. Luckily, Dudley was built strong and all of the busy routine he set up for himself was making him stronger. He already started sparring in the Judo classes and the sports club wanted him to start taking part in the matches.

On some rare occasions, Harry would help Dudley to deliver some papers, for a small cut of the profits, of course. Sometimes he would walk or ride with him on his bike, keeping in awkward silence, rarely saying a word. They hadn't even talked about the dog yet. Honestly things were really weird between them

Well, After a lot of trouble Dudley actually managed to do a real magic. Making flowers blossom. It was an idea which came to his mind after thinking about the Eighth movie and Snape's flashbacks. He was paid quite handsomely by Mrs Figg to keep her plants looking alive and well, but he suspected that she was doing it more so that she could keep an eye on Harry. She was a _spy _ afterall

Even though things were a little it rough between them Dudley decided to buy Harry something when it came to his tenth birthday

After a lot of trouble and bargain he ended up buying a nice watch which would match Harry's glasses. He left it outside Harry's door at midnight, sticking on the exact same note Harry had put on Dudley's tin, before knocking on it and running into his own room , Still keeping the element of surprise

Harry was wearing the watch the next day, and gave Dudley a very quick smile at breakfast before dashing off outside in an attempt to hide it for as long as possible from Vernon and Petunia, in case they thought he didn't deserve a thing brought by their Duddykins

After that, life seemed to fall into a routine of work, school, and the odd zip zap of magic from then on. Busy in his heavy schedule Dudley didn't even realised it that, it was coming up to his eleventh birthday.

**Scene change**

"Dudley. This is taking ages!" Harry complained, resting on the hoe and looking at his watch for the fifth time. "Do you _really_ need the money?"

Dudley had been given a job by Mrs Figg to dig up a length of her garden next to the fence, so that she would have a place for her to grow her own vegetables. Dudley had managed to rope Harry into it with promises of ice cream after.

"I want to make some good money so much" Dudley replied in a sing song voice " So stop complaining"

Both of them soon had their arms, legs and backs aching, and Dudley's face throbbed with a black eye and a bruise he'd gotten from the spar at Judo academy night before, but he and Harry were actually having fun, if you could believe it.

"Oh come on, It's not like you really need to earn that much money. Stop being a greedy slavedriver" Harry laughed and shook his head as he pulled the hoe into position. "And I'm not complaining, I'm just-" Whatever Harry was going to say was cut off by the back door opening, and Mrs Figg hobbled out on crutches and a plaster cast on her right leg, together with her cats that escaped out the house between her ankles.

"Dudley," she gazed at him crookedly. "That was your mother on the phone. She's asking whether you want to go to the park or the zoo for your birthday, and-' Her eyes drifted over to Harry as she spoke, but he couldn't see because he was pretending to be concentrating on hoeing. "-_who_ you want to bring."

"Zoo?" Dudley's eyes widened. "Birthday?" He dropped his shovel and started counting the days on his fingers. It would be Dudley's birthday in five days, and Harry letters had arrived a few days before his birthday, so where was _his_ letter?

"Zoo? Okay, and who are you going to take?" Mrs Figg watched him, impatiently taping the doorframe. Dudley took a few deep breaths, ignoring the cold and worrying sensation that was drifting up his back, and looked sideways at Harry, who was now unknowingly hoeing the grass as he craned his head to listen.

"Harry. Tell her I want to take Harry." Dudley saw the corners of Mrs Figg's mouth twitch into a smile, but it was quickly smothered.

"If that's what you want, dear." She turned around and walked back into the house.

"What I really want now" Dudley muttered to himself, picking up his shovel and stamping it back into the ground, "is to go home and eat something"

**Scene change**

As Dudley, Harry and Dursleys wandered around the zoo, Dudley drifted back to his old days when his Grampa was used to take him to zoo and amusement park. Their memories still brought a sharp aching in his chest. The real thing which was troubling him was that owls were no where to be seen. It was HIS BIRTHDAY. AND STILL HE DIDN'T GET THE LETTER. What will he do if the letter doesn't arrive?. Find some chi master and learn moves like Yu yu hakusho. Nah, He really doubted things like that existed here even in this magic world. He was not in an anime for god's sake

The Sorting Hat and its ability to read minds! Would the hat even allow him into Hogwarts?. That was the real question. Snape and Dumbledore they were master leglimens, Mind readers of some sort, and the information Dudley held in his head would be dangerously invaluable for anyone that learnt of it. That was just one of the reasons he had plans of not telling anybody the truth about himself at all.

As they approached the Reptile House, Dudley pushed the unsettling thoughts down, as there was nothing he could do now. He might be able to find a book on Occlumency or something when he went to Diagon Alley, which he _will _be doing. It would be annoying if he bought a book with his limited cash, and all Occlumency turned out to be was just meditation. He he funny thoughts

"Harry!" Dudley called, as they stepped into the dark and humid enclosure of the Reptile House. He spotted the Boa constrictor almost immediately and grabbed Harry by the arm and pulled him towards the snake. Harry wouldn't have been able to resist Dudley even if he tried. "Come see this!"

"Woo!" Harry smiled politely but not truly impressed, as he observed the Boa constrictor and then turned to Dudley. "It's…err, really big." he said awkwardly.

Dudley sighed as he looked at the snake. It was as Harry had said, 'really big', its whole body filling the large tank, and could wrap him up easily. He wondered how much bigger the Basilisk could be, and how stupid it was that Harry was left to fight it alone.

"Harry?" he suddenly turned sharply to him. He was making a strange noise at the tank. An exciting chill ran up Dudley's back, as he realised Harry was talking Parseltongue, and he had to squeeze the 'fan-boy smile' off his face before he could speak.

"Huh?" Harry looked at Dudley's mysterious, and badly attempted hiding, of a grin with suspicion.

"You were talking to the snake," Dudley pointed to the Boa, but the smile sneaked on his face as a plan formed in the back of his mind. He stored it away for later. The snake in question had risen to eye level with Harry.

"Was I…?" Harry said skeptically, turning back to the tank. "Was I?" he asked the snake, and all Dudley heard was a gurgling sharp hiss as if Harry was ordering the snake to answer. It was more chilling this time, and somewhat dulled the excitement within him.

The snake nodded. It was scary and fascinating.

"It understands me!" The surprised look on Harry's face was truly priceless, and everything seemed to brighten again. '_More than you know_,' Dudley thought, as he glanced at the tanks information guide, 'Born and raised inceptively.'

"Hey, Harry," Dudley, who stood behind Harry, leaned over to whisper in his ear. He checked around him for the Dursleys or any other passer by. "You know what this means?"

Harry didn't say anything, but swallowed loudly, his face less than an inch from the glass. Dudley could see on his reflection that confusion was lit across his brow.

"You're a wizard, Harry." The words felt electric in his mouth, as it was an immense moment. "Like me." Saying it out loud for the first time made it suddenly feel so much more real.

Harry spun around so fast that Dudley would have lost his balance, Well only if he was more lighter. Instead, Harry bounced backwards up to the support banister under the tank, his face awash with emotions and, weirdly to Dudley, they didn't at all seem positive.

"I'm a-you're a-"Harry's eyes drilled into Dudley's. "What?"

"Shhhh-people might be watching," Dudley hissed, putting his hand up in front of Harry's mouth. He turned his head to the left, as by 'people' he meant the Dursleys, but luckily they seemed to be preoccupied at another tank.

Harry smacked Dudley's hand away instantly. A small dash appeared in the glass over his head, as the snake reared as far back into the tank as it could.

"This is it, isn't it?" Harry pointed his finger into Dudley's chest, hard. The glass cracked around the dash in a circular burst, tripling in size._"This-" _He jabbed his finger on Dudley again, and the quaking glass doubled outwards, almost filling the frame. _"-_is what you've been up to. Don't look at me like that!" Another jab, and the dash in the centre sparkled and a large crack sped across the glass.

"I knew you lot were up to something. I just knew it. Go on, where are the cameras? You really think I'm_ that _stupid! A 'wizard'! Is that the best you could do?" Dudley was also getting angry, as he grabbed Harry's finger heatedly. '_That was quite enough of that!'_ As he did, all the cracks in the tank started to glow an angry hot orange.

"I am trying to help you-" People around the two them looked on with fear, as more of the increasingly flaming-red fractures in the glass began cracking, which neither Harry or Dudley noticed. Dudley did notice the crowd though. "You Bast-" the glass began rippling. "You're making a scene!" he hissed.

"You know what! I was even beginning to think that you might have actually changed, but you're just the same old Dudley Durs-"

Dudley grabbed Harry by the face and threw him, and himself, to the floor before he could control himself, one of the many problems of possessing a child's body.

"Shut up!"

Harry started hitting him, but Dudley barely felt any of them and pinned Harry to floor with his superior weight and gritted his teeth. "I am NOTHING Like A DURS-!"

_**BOOM!**_

The glass above them exploded outwards in a cyclone of blue fire and molten glass, the force of the blast pressing Dudley down on Harry, and anyone not smart enough to have started running when the glass started rippling were safely blown out the way, and ran for the exits, some of them on fire.

Dudley was laid on top of Harry, his ears ringing, and everything was a bit fuzzy. He blinked eight times before he slowly rolled off him, unknowingly narrowly missing a molten slug of glass by his left shoulder.

He looked over to Harry who had pushed himself up onto his elbows, and was looking around the empty enclosure in awe. The boa then lifted itself over the ridge of melted window frame and slid out of its tank. It took a moment to look at them, and hissed at Harry. Harry hissed back before it started sliding skilfully through the minefield of molten slugs. Both of them watched it go.

"What'd it say?" Dudley asked, pushing himself up on his elbows, and then laid back down again because it made him dizzy.

"Thanks, amigos," Harry replied numbly, looking around. It wasn't just the boa tank that had exploded, although it was the largest, and snakes where escaping all around them and slithering to freedom.

"What'd you say?" Dudley asked, this time looking at Harry and able to sit up.

"Look out for the glass." The slugs of glass were melting the plastic flooring of the Reptile House, but nothing looked like it was going to bust into flames any time soon. They were safe, for now at least.

"Oh…good advice." Dudley now noticed the ball of glass to his left, and licked his lip nervously, as he realised his hands were shaking. "Are you alright?

"Huh? Oh...I'm fine. Your body kind of shielded me." Harry said humbly, as he stood up. "Dudley…this-this isn't a trick? Is it?"

"Huh, Why do you think that? It's no. Absolutely not" Dudley raised an eyebrow, then frowned deeply and got to his own feet. "You think this-" he gestured to the room irritably. "Is some sort of…oh " He could see that Harry was upset, and some of what Harry was _really_ saying sunk in. "I see."

"I thought you lot were…" Harry trailed off. "I thought it might have been a joke, you know, everything." His eyes flickered to the watch, which was now cracked, although it was more likely from the fall rather than by magic, seeing as it hadn't exploded. "So it's true...

"What? That you and I are wizards?" He gazed around the room, which was now filling with smoke, with obviously ironic intent. "Yes."

"We should probably get out of here?" Harry asked

"Yeah," Dudley let out a chuckle and looked over Harry . "That, too."

**Scene change**

"Bloody animal right activists!" This was Vernon Dursley on the telly, on the news, just after the incident, and looking very red. Harry and Dudley's little fight made more than local headlines. It had made BBC national news, mostly because it was a slow week, and, of course, the Dursleys had recorded it and scrap-booked any and all newspaper clippings of the interview.

"Stupid people, what the hell were they playing at? Could have brought the whole zoo down with that blast. Someone could have been hurt, my son was right in the centre of it," the camera turned to Harry and then Dudley, both looking very sheepish. "Put them lot in cages is what I say."

"But we are so glad that you're safe." This was Petunia on the screen now. She hugged Dudley, making it clear that the other one wasn't hers.

Neither of them noticed the two brown barn owls circling and diving overhead their home , each with a letter in their claws, or the adroit way these magnificent birds managed to throw both letters through the letterbox at the same time.


End file.
